No bail for man charged in July 4 shooting of boy, 7, in park

21-year-old Marshan Bradley was arrested for the non-fatal shooting of 7-year-old Christian Lyles

21-year-old Marshan Bradley was arrested for the non-fatal shooting of 7-year-old Christian Lyles

Steve SchmadekeTribune reporter

A man accused of opening fire on a July 4th barbecue at a South Side park, wounding a 7-year-old boy, was ordered held without bail today.

Marshan D. Bradley, 21, of the 10900 block of South Vincennes Avenue, was free on probation at the time of the shooting, prosecutors said. He is charged with one count of aggravated battery, discharge of a firearm.

Witnesses identified Bradley as the front-seat passenger in a blue Pontiac who gave “menacing looks” at a group gathered about 7:30 p.m. last Thursday at Cole Park in the 300 block of East 85th Street in the Chatham neighborhood, according to prosecutors.

The car drove past the group three times and then Bradley emerged from an alley near the park and opened fire, prosecutors said.

A 7-year-old boy, who police said was not the intended target, was shot on the left side of his neck and taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, according to officials. He was later released, police have said.

Four witnesses later identified Bradley as the shooter, authorities said.

Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered him held without bail. He is scheduled to appear in court July 16.

Bradley’s girlfriend, Laura Wilson, 20, said outside the courtroom that Bradley was with her at the time of the shooting. “It wasn’t him,” she said.

According to court records, Bradley pleaded guilty in March 2013 to delivery of a controlled substance and was sentenced to two years of probation. In June of 2012, he pleaded guilty to reckless conduct and was given six months of court supervision.

Early on July 5, the day after the 7-year-old was wounded, a 5-year-old boy was shot in another park on the South Side. He was also taken in critical condition to Christ Medical Center. In all, more than 70 people were shot over the long Fourth of July weekend, 11 of them fatally.